Hillary Clinton leaves the post of secretary of state Friday with a high approval rating, a strengthened résumé and a loose-knit network of donors and grass-roots supporters eager to make her the first woman president if she decides to re-enter politics.

Washington Wire

Much of the political world is waiting for word on whether she'll do so. With four years as secretary of state added to a career that included New York senator and first lady, Mrs. Clinton would enter the 2016 race for the White House as a solid front-runner. Her presence would likely scare off some other presidential hopefuls, Democratic strategists say.

Adding to the drama: Mrs. Clinton's base of supporters and donors, built during her time in the Senate and White House, gives her an organizational advantage and the luxury of time as she considers her future. That could force potential primary opponents to decide their own moves before knowing hers.

Friends say Mrs. Clinton is in no hurry to show her hand. For now, she says she wants to sleep, relax and deliver speeches.

In this extended version of her speech, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives an emotional farewell to members of the State Department.

Clinton's Political Career

Speaking earlier this week, Mrs. Clinton was asked about possible presidential ambitions. "Well, I am not thinking about anything like that right now," she said. "I am looking forward to finishing up my tenure as secretary of state and then catching up on about 20 years of sleep deprivation."

Mrs. Clinton benefits from having a kind of campaign-in-waiting available for any potential future in politics. Her donors and supporters have stayed in touch through Facebook and email since her ill-fated bid for the party nomination in 2008, when she entered the race as the front-runner but was toppled by Barack Obama's insurgent candidacy. A new pro-Clinton super PAC, "Ready for Hillary," was created by a Clinton supporter from Arlington, Va., Allida Black, and is now raising money in case she decides to run.

"I've talked to very strong Hillary supporters with deep pockets, and they clearly want to see her run," said Harold Ickes, a senior strategist in her 2008 presidential bid. "In the conversations I've had, they've said, 'If she runs, I'm in, and I'm in financially.' "

ENLARGE

Ed Rendell, a friend of the Clinton family and a former Democratic Party chairman, predicted that she might decide to run as soon as early 2014, lured by the prospect of becoming the first female president and an abiding interest in government service.

"If she announces fairly soon after that, she essentially pre-empts the field," he said.

Should she re-enter politics, Mrs. Clinton would face a choice: Does she draw distinctions between herself and Mr. Obama—and by extension, with potential candidate Vice President Joe Biden? Or does she cast herself as the heir to the Obama legacy? That decision likely would depend on the shape of the economy and world affairs in the next two to four years.

If economic growth is strong and Mr. Obama remains popular, she might want to depict herself as a full partner in his success. At the same time, Mrs. Clinton is a different sort of Democrat than the president—more aligned with the pro-business views that her husband championed as he moved the Democratic Party toward the political center in the early 1990s. As a senator from New York, she voted for trade deals with Singapore, Chile and Oman over the objections of organized labor. Mr. Biden was among many Senate Democrats who opposed the trade deals with Singapore and Chile.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives an emotional goodbye to the 70,000 members of the State Department on her last day in office. Photo: Getty Images.

As Washington's top diplomat, Mrs. Clinton has taken a more hawkish line than Mr. Obama on issues such as diplomatic engagement with Iran and Syria. Mrs. Clinton voiced skepticism from her first days at the State Department that Iran would respond to U.S. calls for Tehran to negotiate away its nuclear program, according to U.S. and Arab officials who met with her.

She also was wary of the idea pressed by some in the White House that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would cut his military alliance with Iran as part of a rapprochement with Washington.

Some of her supporters never warmed to Mr. Obama and would like to see her draw distinctions with the White House in one respect at least: representation of women in government.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton makes a few jokes in her farewell speech on her last day in the State Department. Photo: Getty Images.

Should Mrs. Clinton run, "That's going to be a sharp contrast," said Amy Siskind, co-founder of The New Agenda, a woman's advocacy group that was created by 30 Clinton supporters. "It's shameful that a man who got elected by women and people of color and people of different sexual orientation goes and chooses a bunch of white men" for top government roles.

But some say Mrs. Clinton would have big hurdles, should she run for president. Republican Kenneth Blackwell, a former Ohio state official, said she might be haunted by the State Department's handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, last year that killed four Americans.

"There are serious questions about Benghazi," Mr. Blackwell said. Referring to what he described as her political sympathies, he said, "The car of the left will have run out of gas in four years—that will be her problem."

In her farewell speech, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlights how important she thinks international diplomacy is and acknowledges the dangers that come with it. Photo: Getty Images.

A wild card in her decision is her health. In December, Mrs. Clinton, who is 65 years old, fainted and suffered a concussion. She was later hospitalized and treated for a blood clot in her head. In a recent interview with CNN, she said she was taking medication, adding "that's what people do when you have blood clots."

Mr. Rendell said he spoke to her at a dinner last year and suggested age shouldn't be a deterrent. As four years her senior, Mr. Rendell said he told her: "'Hillary, do I look like I have the strength and vitality to run for president?' She said, 'Of course you do.' And I said, 'Well, I'm exactly the age that you'll be in 2016.'"

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